JP5651003B2 - Ice machine drive - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an ice making machine drive device, and more particularly to an ice making machine drive device that operates an ice detecting member or the like for automatically detecting whether or not the amount of ice is insufficient.

  The ice maker driving device described in Patent Document 1 operates an ice tray and an ice detecting member using a motor as a driving source. When refilling ice, the ice machine drive device rotates and twists the ice tray to deform it. When detecting whether or not the ice in the ice storage container is insufficient (ice detection), the ice making drive rotates the ice detection shaft via the cam wheel, and the ice detection lever connected to the ice detection shaft is moved. Make it work. When the ice in the ice storage container is insufficient, the ice detecting lever is lowered to a position below the predetermined position. When the ice in the ice storage container is sufficient, the ice detecting lever does not descend below the predetermined position.

  Further, the ice making drive device operates the pressing member (biased member) via the cam wheel. The pressing member moves by the urging force of the coil spring and presses the pressing switch every time the pressing member is fitted into the concave portion of the cam surface formed in the cam wheel. When the ice in the ice storage container is insufficient, the movement of the pressing member is restricted by the ice detecting shaft, so that the pressing switch is not pressed.

  In such an ice making drive device, the coil spring that urges the pressing member is assembled at a predetermined location in the following procedure. First, the coil spring is fixed to the engaging cylinder (coil spring fixing portion) of the upper case. The pressing member is disposed at a predetermined position of the lower case. When the upper case and the lower case are engaged in this state, the lower end of the coil spring is engaged with a convex portion (coil spring engaging portion) having a mountain shape (triangular section) formed on the pressing member. That is, the mountain-shaped convex part enters the inside of the coil spring.

JP 2001-304733 A

  However, the above configuration has the following problems. Since the pressing member is configured to operate via the cam wheel, the cam wheel is disposed in the vicinity of the pressing member. Therefore, when trying to engage the upper case with the coil spring fixed to the lower case, the lower end of the coil spring is caught by the cam wheel before the mountain-shaped coil spring engaging portion enters the inside of the coil spring. There is. When such a catch occurs, even if the coil spring returns straight, the coil spring collides with the side surface of the mountain-shaped coil spring engaging portion, and the coil spring engaging portion enters the inside of the coil spring. I can't do that. Therefore, in such a case, it is necessary to once separate the upper case and the lower case and carefully engage both cases again.

  In view of the above problems, the problem to be solved by the present invention is an ice making drive device that includes a biased member that is biased by a coil spring, and can prevent displacement of the coil spring during assembly. Is to provide.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, an ice making drive device according to the first aspect of the present invention is a coil spring and is energized by the coil spring to detect whether or not the amount of ice in the ice storage container is insufficient. A biased member that operates in conjunction with the ice detecting member, an upper case and a lower case that house the coil spring and the biased member, and one or a plurality of transmission members that transmit the power of the drive source. The upper case is provided with a coil spring fixing portion for fixing the upper side of the coil spring, and the biased member supported by the lower case receives the outer peripheral surface of the lower side of the coil spring. A substantially cylindrical coil spring engagement portion is provided , and one of the transmission members disposed at a position closest to the coil spring engagement portion has an upper end on the side surface of the coil spring engagement portion. It ’s closer to the upper case than the top of The gap between the one transmission member and the coil spring engagement portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the coil spring, and the height of the coil spring engagement portion on the one transmission member side is: The gist is that it is lower than the lower end of the side surface of the one transmission member .
In order to solve the above problem, an ice making drive device according to the second aspect of the present invention detects a coil spring and whether or not the amount of ice in the ice storage container is insufficient by being biased by the coil spring. A biased member that operates in conjunction with an ice detecting member, an upper case and a lower case that house the coil spring and the biased member, and one or a plurality of transmission members that transmit power of a drive source The upper case is provided with a coil spring fixing portion for fixing the upper side of the coil spring, and the biased member supported by the lower case has a lower outer peripheral surface of the coil spring. A substantially cylindrical coil spring engagement portion is provided, and one of the transmission members disposed at a position closest to the coil spring engagement portion has an upper end on a side surface of the coil spring engagement portion. Close to the upper case than the upper end of the joint The gap between the one transmission member and the coil spring engaging portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the coil spring, and the height of the coil spring engaging portion is the one transmission member. The gist is that the opposite side is higher than the side.

  Here, “substantially cylindrical” is not limited to a configuration in which the coil spring engaging portion is completely cylindrical, but the coil spring once entering the coil spring engaging portion does not come out of the coil spring engaging portion. Includes all such shapes. For example, the “substantially cylindrical shape” also includes a cylindrical portion in which a discontinuous portion (a slit smaller than the outer shape of the coil spring) is formed in the circumferential direction.

  Thus, the coil spring engaging portion that receives the lower outer peripheral surface of the coil spring is made substantially cylindrical, and the configuration for receiving the lower side of the coil spring is made wider than the conventional example that receives the inner peripheral surface of the coil spring. Therefore, when the upper case and the lower case are engaged, the coil spring is not easily displaced. Further, since the coil spring engaging portion has a shape surrounding the lower outer periphery of the coil spring, the coil spring once engaged is not easily displaced.

Further , the coil spring does not enter the gap between the one transmission member and the coil spring engaging portion.
Further, if the height of the coil spring engaging portion on the one transmission member side is lower than the lower end of the one transmission member as in the first aspect of the present invention, the coil spring is caught on the one transmission member. However, when the coil spring returns to a linear shape, the coil spring is accommodated in the substantially cylindrical coil spring engaging portion.
Further, as in the second aspect of the present invention, if the height of the coil spring engaging portion is higher on the opposite side than the one transmission member side, the coil once engaged with the spring engaging portion The spring is difficult to come off. In addition, when the coil spring is caught by one transmission member and tries to return to a linear shape, it can be prevented that the coil spring bounces away from the one transmission member and is detached from the coil spring engaging portion.

  The upper case is provided with an upper guide portion, and the lower case includes a lower guide portion that engages with the upper guide portion and positions the upper case with respect to the lower case in the facing surface direction. The distance between the coil spring engaging portion and the portion where the upper end of the coil spring is in contact with the lower end of the upper guide portion and the upper end of the lower guide portion is larger than the natural length of the coil spring. It only needs to be large.

  With this configuration, when the upper case and the lower case are to be engaged, the coil spring does not contact the coil spring engaging portion at the moment when the upper guide portion and the lower guide portion are engaged. Therefore, as long as the coil spring is not caught by one transmission member before the upper guide portion and the lower guide portion are engaged with each other, the coil spring is moved to the coil spring engaging portion while being guided by the guide member. Guided to engage.

  Further, the inner surface of the coil spring engaging portion only needs to be formed so that the size of its cross section increases toward the upper case.

  According to this configuration, when the upper case and the lower case are engaged, it is possible to prevent the lower side of the coil spring from being detached from the coil spring engaging portion. That is, it is easy to engage the coil spring with the coil spring engaging portion. The coil spring engaged with the coil spring engaging portion is guided to the center of the coil spring engaging portion along the inner periphery of the coil spring engaging portion.

  Moreover, the lower end surface of the said coil spring should just be formed flat.

  Thus, if the lower end surface of the coil spring is flat (if the tip of the wire constituting the coil spring does not protrude from the lower end surface of the coil spring), the coil spring can be prevented from being caught by the coil spring engaging portion.

  According to the ice making drive device of the present invention, since the substantially cylindrical coil spring engaging portion that widely receives the lower outer peripheral surface of the coil spring is provided, the coil is used when the upper case and the lower case are engaged. The spring is not easily displaced.

It is the figure which showed an example of the automatic ice maker to which the ice maker drive device concerning one Embodiment of this invention was applied. It is a figure for demonstrating the internal structure of the ice machine drive device concerning one Embodiment of this invention (The figure which showed the state from which the upper case was removed). It is sectional drawing (sectional drawing cut | disconnected by the plane which passes along a pressing member) of the ice making machine drive device concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is the top view which looked at the cam gear from the lower part (lower case side), Comprising: It is a figure for demonstrating the cam surface formed in the cam gear. It is a top view of an ice detection axis. It is an external appearance perspective view of a pressing member. It is the figure which showed the moment when the guide shaft provided in the upper case and the guide recessed part provided in the lower case engaged. It is the figure which showed the state by which the press member urging | biasing spring (coil spring) was engaged with the coil spring engaging part. Positions of the pressing member urging spring, the coil spring engaging portion, and the coil spring fixing portion (upper case) at the moment when the guide shaft provided in the upper case and the guide recess provided in the lower case are engaged. It is a figure for demonstrating a relationship.

  An ice making machine driving device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to, for example, an automatic ice making machine 90 as shown in FIG. The automatic ice maker 90 includes an ice tray 901 disposed above the ice storage container R for storing manufactured ice, an ice detecting member 902 for detecting the amount of ice stored in the ice storage container R, the ice making tray 901 and the ice detection An ice making machine driving device 1 for driving the member 902.

  The ice making machine driving device 1 inverts the ice tray 901 to drop ice from the ice tray 901 into the ice storage container R. Specifically, when the ice tray 901 rotates approximately 180 degrees from the ice making position, the protrusion 9011 provided on the ice tray 901 hits the contact piece 9012 provided on the machine frame of the automatic ice maker 90, and the ice tray 901 is twisted and deformed. The ice falls due to the deformation. Further, the ice making machine driving device 1 moves the ice detecting member 902 up and down to detect whether or not the ice amount in the ice storage container R is sufficient.

  Hereinafter, an ice making machine driving device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the ice making machine driving device 1 includes a motor 10 that is a driving source, a transmission train that transmits power of the motor 10, and a detection for detecting the amount of ice stored in the ice storage container R. The ice detecting shaft 30 for operating the ice member 902, the pressing switch 40 for detecting the detection result of the amount of ice by the ice detecting member 902, and the pressing member 50 for pressing / non-pressing the pressing switch 40 (the cover in the present invention) Corresponding to an urging member). These members are accommodated in a case including an upper case 81 and a lower case 82.

  The transmission train includes a plurality of compound gears (first gear 21, second gear 22, and third gear 23) and a cam wheel 24 (corresponding to one transmission member in the present invention) meshed with the third gear 23. . The power of the motor 10 is transmitted to the cam wheel 24 via the first gear 21, the second gear 22, and the third gear 23.

  An output shaft 25 is integrally formed with the cam wheel 24. The output shaft 25 protrudes outward from the ice making machine driving device 1 through a hole formed in the upper case 81 and is connected to the ice making tray 901. That is, the cam wheel 24 and the ice tray 901 rotate together. An end of the output shaft 25 opposite to the side connected to the ice tray 901 has a cylindrical shape and is rotatably supported by a circular base 821 provided in the lower case 82.

  On the other hand, an annular recess is formed on the side surface facing the lower case 82 of the cam wheel 24. An ice detecting shaft cam surface 241 having an inner wall as a cam surface is provided in the recess. Further, a pressing member operating cam surface 242 having an inner wall as a cam surface is provided on the outside.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the ice detecting shaft cam surface 241 is formed with an ice detecting non-operating position portion 2411 and an ice shortage detecting position portion 2412. The ice detection non-operation position portion 2411 is a section in which the ice detection member 902 is maintained without being lowered. Further, the ice shortage detection position portion 2412 is a section in which the ice detecting member 902 is maintained in the lowest lowered state when the ice is insufficient, and is recessed outward in the radial direction from the ice detection non-operation position portion 2411. It has a concave shape. Since the ice detecting shaft 30 is urged by the ice detecting shaft urging spring 301, the ice detecting shaft 30 is rotated in the direction of lowering the ice detecting member 902 every time the engaging convex portion 31 is fitted into the ice shortage detecting position portion 2412. And

  The pressing member operating cam surface 242 includes a first signal generating cam portion 2421 for outputting a signal at the ice making position, a second signal generating cam portion 2422 for outputting a signal at the ice detecting position, And a third signal generating cam portion 2423 for outputting a signal at the deicing position. Each of these signal generating cam portions is a recess that is recessed outward in the radial direction. Since the pressing member 50 is urged by a pressing member urging spring 501 (corresponding to the coil spring in the present invention), each time the cam contact portion 51 is fitted in these recesses, the pressing member 50 swings toward the pressing switch 40 side. Try to move. When the ice detecting shaft 30 rotates by a predetermined angle or more, the switch pressing operation blocking piece 34 formed on the ice detecting shaft 30 prevents the pressing member 50 that presses the pressing switch 40 from rotating. With this configuration, when the rotation angle of the cam wheel 24 is in the ice-making position and the ice-breaking position, that is, in a state where the ice-making tray 901 is horizontally stationary for ice-making and in a state where the ice is twisted off by being inverted. 40 turns on. Further, the push switch 40 outputs an ice detection signal when the ice is full due to the ice detecting operation and when the ice is passing through the ice making position when driven in the direction of the ice making position after deicing. Thus, in this embodiment, the push switch 40 outputs a signal for notifying the ice detection result and also outputs a signal for detecting the position of the ice tray 901.

  With such a configuration, when the ice tray 901 rotates in the direction of the deicing position, if the ice in the ice storage container R is insufficient, the ice detecting shaft 30 rotates more than a predetermined angle, and the push switch 40 is Not turned on (pressed). On the other hand, when the ice storage container R stores the ice in a predetermined amount or more, the ice detecting member 902 hits the ice in the ice storage container R, and the ice detecting shaft 30 cannot rotate more than a predetermined angle. The engaging piece 32 of the ice detecting shaft 30 cannot prevent the pressing member 50 from rotating. Therefore, in this case, the pressing member 50 swings at the ice detecting position by the biasing force of the pressing member biasing spring 501, and the pressing switch 40 is pressed by the swinging.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the ice detecting shaft 30 includes an engagement convex portion 31, an engagement piece 32, a spring locking portion 33, a switch pressing operation blocking piece 34, and a thrust drop prevention formed over the entire circumference. It has a jetty 35, a lever connecting part 36, a case receiving part 37, and a guide piece 38. The case receiving portion 37 is a portion protruding from one end portion of the ice detecting shaft 30 and is rotatably supported in a receiving hole formed by the upper case 81 and the lower case 82 engaging with each other. In addition, since the thrust drop prevention jetty 35 is caught inside the case, the ice detecting shaft 30 is not detached from the case. The lever connecting portion 36 is formed at the other end of the ice detecting shaft 30 and is located outside the case. The fulcrum portion of the ice detecting member 902 is fitted into the lever connecting portion 36. The ice detecting shaft 30 is inserted first into the receiving hole of the case receiving portion 37, the ice detecting shaft biasing spring 301 is engaged with the spring locking portion 33, and the engaging convex portion 31 is used for the ice detecting shaft of the cam wheel 24. In a state of being pressed against the cam surface 241, it is positioned so as to be rotatable in the case. The engaging convex portion 31 protrudes radially outward from the outer peripheral surface of the ice detecting shaft 30 in the vicinity of the case receiving portion 37 of the ice detecting shaft 30 and is curved from a midway position. The engaging convex portion 31 is a cam follower that abuts on the ice detecting shaft cam surface 241 formed on the cam wheel 24. The engagement piece 32 can contact a rotation prevention piece (not shown) of the friction member 26 in the vicinity of the end of the ice detecting shaft 30. Although a detailed description is omitted, when the cam gear is returned to the home position after the ice removal operation, the rotation preventing piece comes into contact with the engaging piece 32, so that the ice detecting shaft 30 is prevented from rotating. . The guide piece 38 enters a guide groove (not shown) formed in the back side portion of the top plate of the case member, and moves along the guide groove. The guide piece 38 regulates the rotation range of the ice detecting shaft 30.

  The pressing member 50 is rotated in each U-shaped groove provided at the upper edge portion of two end plates 833 (only one end plate is shown in FIG. 3) erected on the bottom surface of the lower case 82. It is supported freely. When viewed from the side, the pressing member 50 has a protruding shape protruding from the protruding arm 52, and the protruding arm 52 is biased by a pressing member biasing spring 501 that is a coil spring. The protruding arm 52 is positioned in the vicinity of the switch pressing operation blocking piece 34 provided on the ice detecting shaft 30. When the switch pressing operation blocking piece 34 is in contact with the protruding arm 52, the pressing member 50 swings. Can not do it. A button of the push switch 40 is disposed at a position facing the protruding arm 52.

  A cylindrical coil spring engaging portion 53 is formed on the surface (upper surface) opposite to the side facing the pressing switch 40 of the protruding arm 52 of the pressing member 50. The lower side (lower end and the vicinity thereof) of the pressing member biasing spring 501 is accommodated inside the coil spring engaging portion 53. On the other hand, the upper side (the upper end and the vicinity thereof) of the pressing member urging spring 501 is fixed to a shaft-like coil spring fixing portion 811 formed to protrude from the inner bottom surface of the upper case 81 to the lower case 82 side. Specifically, the outer diameter of the coil spring fixing portion 811 is the same as or slightly larger than the inner diameter of the pressing member biasing spring 501, and the pressing spring biasing spring 811 has a pressing member biasing spring. 501 is fixed by press fitting. Since the coil spring fixing portion 811 has a certain length, the pressing member biasing spring 501 is held vertically without being inclined. As shown in FIG. 8, the coil spring fixing portion 811 is set to such a length that its lower end is located above the upper end of the coil spring engaging portion 53 (the lower end of the coil spring fixing portion 811). And a gap exists between the upper ends of the coil spring engaging portions 53). Details of the specific configuration of the coil spring engaging portion 53 and the method of assembling the pressing member biasing spring 501 will be described later.

  The central portion of the pressing member 50 is a rotation support portion 54 that supports swinging, and both ends of the rotation support portion 54 enter each U-shaped groove, and the rotation support portion 54 is centered on the rotation support portion 54. Move. Further, the pressing member 50 is provided with a swing restricting portion 55, and even if the cam contact portion 51 receives a circumferential force from the cam wheel 24, the end surface of the swing restricting portion 55 is caused by the inner wall of the end plate. Be regulated. Therefore, the pressing member 50 does not incline because one side of the rotation support portion 54 is lifted from the bottom of the U-shaped groove, and moves accurately along the pressing member operation cam surface 242 without shifting the center of swinging. .

  The upper case 81 and the lower case 82 that accommodate these members are joined by screwing four corners. As shown in FIG. 7, the upper case 81 has a guide shaft 812 (corresponding to the upper guide portion in the present invention), and the lower case 82 has guide recesses 822 (corresponding to the lower guide portion in the present invention). ) Is formed. When the upper case 81 and the lower case 82 are engaged, the guide shaft 812 and the guide recess 822 are engaged so that the other case is opposed to the one case (a plane direction perpendicular to the axis of the guide shaft 812). ). For example, when the upper case 81 is to be engaged with the lower case 82, the moment when the guide shaft 812 of the upper case 81 is engaged with the upper end of the guide recess 822 of the lower case 82 (the state shown in FIG. 7) At the moment, the upper case 81 is positioned with respect to the lower case 82 in the direction of the facing surface.

  Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the coil spring engaging portion 53 with which the pressing member urging spring 501 that urges the pressing member 50 is engaged and a method of assembling the pressing member urging spring 501 will be described.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 6, 8, and 9, the coil spring engaging portion 53 is a cylindrical member formed on the upper surface of the protruding arm 52 of the pressing member 50. As for the coil spring engaging part 53, the cam wheel 24 side is lower than the opposite side (side far from the cam wheel 24). An upper end surface (hereinafter also referred to as a low surface portion 531) on the cam wheel 24 located at a relatively low position and an upper end surface (hereinafter referred to as a high surface portion 532) on the opposite side of the cam wheel 24 located at a relatively high position. Is sometimes continuous with a smooth curved surface. That is, there is no step (edge) on the upper end surface of the coil spring engaging portion 53. In this embodiment, when viewed in the circumferential direction of the coil spring engaging portion 53, the low surface portion 531 occupies a range of about 45 degrees, and the high surface portion 532 occupies a range of about 180 degrees. The low surface portion 531 and the high surface portion 532 are smoothly connected by the inclined surface portion 533 (the boundary between the low surface portion 531 and the inclined surface portion 533, and the boundary between the high surface portion 532 and the inclined surface portion 533 is a smooth curved surface). . The inner surface 534 of the coil spring engaging portion 53 is formed in a tapered shape that expands upward.

  The coil spring engaging portion 53 is designed as follows in relation to the cam wheel 24 (one transmission member) located at the closest position among the transmission members constituting the transmission train. As shown in FIG. 8, first, the cam wheel 24 is provided closer to the upper case 81 than the coil spring engaging portion 53. Specifically, the distance between the upper end (high surface portion 532) of the coil spring engaging portion 53 and the upper case 81 is larger than the distance between the upper end of the side surface (gear portion) of the cam wheel 24 and the upper case 81. Second, the gap (shortest distance) between the coil spring engaging portion 53 and the cam wheel 24 is smaller than the outer diameter φS of the pressing member biasing spring 501. In the present embodiment, the size C (distance) of the gap between the lower end of the side surface of the cam wheel 24 and the lower surface portion 531 of the coil spring engaging portion 53 is smaller than the outer diameter φS of the pressing member biasing spring 501. . Third, the height of the lower surface portion 531 of the coil spring engaging portion 53 is lower than the lower end of the side surface of the cam wheel 24. Further, the height of the high surface portion 532 is higher than the upper end of the side surface of the cam wheel 24.

  The coil spring engaging portion 53 is designed as follows in relation to the upper case 81 and the lower case 82. As described above, the pressing member biasing spring 501 is press-fitted into the coil spring fixing portion 811 of the upper case 81. That is, the upper end of the pressing member biasing spring 501 is in contact with the inner bottom surface of the upper case 81. As shown in FIG. 9, in the state where the lower end of the guide shaft 812 of the upper case 81 and the upper end of the guide recess 822 of the lower case 82 are engaged (the moment when the tips of both guide portions are engaged), The distance between the inner bottom surface (portion where the pressing member urging spring 501 contacts) and the coil spring engaging portion 53 (high surface portion 532) is formed larger than the natural length N of the pressing member urging spring 501. Specifically, the distance D between the inner bottom surface of the upper case 81 and the coil spring engaging portion 53 at the moment when the tips of both guide portions are engaged is greater than the natural length N of the pressing member biasing spring 501.

  The pressing member biasing spring 501 is assembled to the coil spring engaging portion 53 having such a configuration as follows. The pressing member biasing spring 501 is assembled at the final stage of the assembly process of the ice making machine driving device 1. First, the pressing member biasing spring 501 is fixed (press-fitted) to the coil spring fixing portion 811 of the upper case 81. The upper case 81 is assembled to the lower case 82 with the coil spring fixing portion 811 fixed. At this time, each member constituting the ice making machine driving device 1 is accommodated (placed) in the lower case 82.

  When the upper case 81 to which the pressing member urging spring 501 is fixed is lowered straight to the lower case 82, the lower end of the guide shaft 812 of the upper case 81 and the upper end of the guide recess 822 of the lower case 82 are engaged. At this moment, the pressing member biasing spring 501 does not come into contact with the coil spring engaging portion 53. As described above, the distance D between the inner bottom surface of the upper case 81 and the coil spring engaging portion 53 at the moment when the lower end of the guide shaft 812 of the upper case 81 and the upper end of the guide recess 822 of the lower case 82 are engaged is determined by the pressing member. This is because the biasing spring 501 is longer than the natural length N.

  When the guide shaft 812 and the guide recess 822 are engaged, the upper case 81 and the lower case 82 are positioned in the facing direction with respect to the counterpart case. Accordingly, the upper case 81 is guided to the guide portion and is lowered directly toward the lower case 82. Therefore, for example, the lower side of the pressing member biasing spring 501 is a cylindrical coil except when the pressing member biasing spring 501 is caught on the side surface of the cam wheel 24 in a state before both guide portions are engaged. It enters the inside of the spring engaging portion 53. Thereby, the assembly of the pressing member biasing spring 501 (assembly of the ice making machine driving device 1) is completed.

  In the present embodiment, the lower end surface of the pressing member biasing spring 501 assembled in this way is formed flat. Specifically, the tip of the wire constituting the pressing member urging spring 501 that is a coil spring is formed so as not to protrude from the lower end surface in the natural state (see FIG. 9).

  Hereinafter, the operation of the ice making machine driving device 1 (automatic ice making machine 90) will be briefly described although partially overlapping with the above description.

  When a signal indicating completion of ice making is obtained by a thermistor or the like (not shown), it is detected whether or not there is a predetermined amount of ice in the ice storage container R (ice detection operation). First, the cam wheel 24 is rotated forward by the motor 10 (rotated in the CCW direction in FIG. 4). When the cam contact portion 51 of the pressing member 50 passes through the first signal generating cam portion 2421, the pressing member 50 resists the biasing force of the pressing member biasing spring 501 by the action of the pressing member operating cam surface 242. It rotates in a direction away from the pressing switch 40. Therefore, the signal obtained from the push switch 40 is an off signal.

  When the off signal is obtained, control means (not shown) drives a timer. The time measured by this timer is a time sufficient for the cam wheel 24 to rotate by an angle from the first signal generating cam portion 2421 to the second signal generating cam portion 2422. In this embodiment, the time measured by the timer is set to 7 seconds.

  While this time elapses, the engaging convex portion 31 of the ice detecting shaft 30 faces the ice shortage detecting position portion 2412 of the ice detecting shaft cam surface 241. Therefore, if the ice is insufficient, the ice detecting member 902 is allowed to descend, and the ice detecting shaft 30 rotates along the ice detecting shaft cam surface 241. In this case, since the rotation of the pressing member 50 is blocked by the switch pressing operation blocking piece 34 of the ice detecting shaft 30, the pressing switch 40 is not turned on within the time set by the timer.

  If the pressure switch 40 remains off even after the time set by the timer has passed, it means that the ice in the ice storage container R is insufficient, so that the ice removing operation is performed. In the deicing operation, the cam contact portion 51 of the pressing member 50 is fitted into the third signal generating cam portion 2423 and the motor 10 is rotated as it is until the pressing switch 40 is turned on. The state where the pressure switch 40 is turned on is a state where the ice tray 901 rotates about 180 degrees, and the ice falls into the ice storage container R due to its twisting deformation. Therefore, the deicing operation is completed when the pressing switch 40 is turned on. Thereafter, the motor 10 is reversely rotated to return the cam wheel 24 and the ice tray 901 to the original position.

  On the other hand, if the ice is not insufficient, the ice in the ice storage container R prevents the ice detecting member 902 from descending. Therefore, the ice detecting shaft 30 does not rotate (does not rotate more than a predetermined amount), and the rotation of the pressing member 50 is not blocked by the switch pressing operation blocking piece 34. Therefore, since the cam contact portion 51 of the pressing member 50 is fitted into the second signal generating cam portion 2422 within the time when the timer is set, the pressing switch 40 is turned on within that time. In this case, since no new ice supply is required, the cam wheel 24 is reversed and the cam wheel 24 and the ice tray 901 are returned to the origin position.

  According to the ice making machine driving device 1 according to the present embodiment described above, the following operational effects are exhibited.

  The ice making drive device has a configuration in which the coil spring engaging portion 53 that receives the lower outer peripheral surface of the pressing member urging spring 501 is cylindrical and receives the lower outer peripheral surface of the pressing member urging spring 501 as compared with the conventional structure. Therefore, when the upper case 81 and the lower case 82 are engaged, the pressing member biasing spring 501 is not easily displaced. Further, since the coil spring engaging portion 53 has a cylindrical shape that surrounds the outer periphery of the lower end of the pressing member urging spring 501, the pressing member urging spring 501 once engaged is not easily displaced.

  In addition, since the gap C between the cam wheel 24 and the coil spring engaging portion 53 disposed at the position closest to the coil spring engaging portion 53 is smaller than the outer diameter φS of the pressing member biasing spring 501, the cam is not assembled during assembly. The pressing member biasing spring 501 does not enter the gap between the wheel 24 and the coil spring engaging portion 53.

  The distance D between the inner bottom surface of the upper case 81 and the coil spring engaging portion 53 at the moment when the lower end of the guide shaft 812 of the upper case 81 and the upper end of the guide recess 822 of the lower case 82 are engaged is determined by the pressing member biasing spring. It is larger than the natural length N of 501. Therefore, when the upper case 81 to which the pressing member biasing spring 501 is fixed is to be engaged with the lower case 82, the pressing member biasing spring 501 is in a stage before the guide shaft 812 and the guide recess 822 are engaged. As long as it is prevented from being caught by the cam wheel 24, the pressing member biasing spring 501 is naturally guided so as to engage with the coil spring engaging portion 53 while being guided by both guide portions. That is, the pressing member biasing spring 501 can be reliably engaged with the coil spring engaging portion 53.

  Further, since the height of the lower surface portion 531 of the coil spring engaging portion 53 is lower than the lower end of the side surface of the cam wheel 24, even if the pressing member biasing spring 501 is caught on the side surface of the cam wheel 24, When the biasing spring 501 returns to a linear shape, the pressing member biasing spring 501 is accommodated in the cylindrical coil spring engaging portion 53.

  Further, the coil spring engaging portion 53 is lower in height on the cam wheel 24 side than on the opposite side (the low surface portion 531 is located on the cam wheel 24 side, and the high surface portion 532 is located on the opposite side). Therefore, the pressing member biasing spring 501 once engaged with the spring engaging portion is difficult to come off. In other words, in this embodiment, the lower surface portion 531 is made lower than the lower end of the side surface of the cam wheel 24 so that the pressing member biasing spring 501 that returns linearly from the state of being hooked on the side surface of the cam wheel 24 is engaged with the coil spring. By providing the high surface portion 532, the pressing member biasing spring 501 once engaged with the coil spring engaging portion 53 is configured to be difficult to come off while being configured to be easily fitted to the portion 53.

  Further, due to the presence of the high surface portion 532 of the coil spring engaging portion 53, when the pressing member urging spring 501 is once hooked on the side surface of the cam wheel 24, the pressing member urging spring 501 is moved to the cam shape. It is possible to prevent the spring from being released from the coil spring engaging portion 53 by being flipped away from the vehicle 24.

  Since the inner surface of the coil spring engaging portion 53 is formed so that the cross-sectional size increases toward the upper case 81, the pressing member biasing spring 501 is engaged with the coil spring engaging portion 53. Easy to make. The pressing member biasing spring 501 engaged with the coil spring engaging portion 53 is guided to the center of the coil spring engaging portion 53 along the inner periphery of the coil spring engaging portion 53.

  Further, since the lower end surface of the pressing member urging spring 501 is formed flat, the pressing member urging spring 501 is prevented from being caught by the coil spring engaging portion 53.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

  In the above-described embodiment, the coil spring engaging portion 53 is described as “cylindrical”. However, any configuration other than a perfect cylindrical shape is acceptable as long as the shape receives the lower outer peripheral surface of the pressing member biasing spring 501. (Substantially cylindrical) may be sufficient. For example, it is good also as a cylinder shape in which a partial slit (a slit having a size that the pressing member biasing spring 501 cannot pass) is formed in the circumferential direction.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Ice machine drive device 10 Motor 24 Cam wheel 30 Ice detection shaft 40 Press switch 50 Press member 53 Coil spring engaging part 501 Press member urging spring 80 Upper case 811 Coil spring fixing part 812 Guide shaft 82 Lower case 822 Guide recessed part 901 Ice tray 902 Ice detection member R Ice storage container

Claims (5)

A coil spring;
A biased member that is biased by the coil spring and operates in conjunction with an ice detecting member for detecting whether or not the amount of ice in the ice storage container is insufficient;
An upper case and a lower case for accommodating the coil spring and the biased member;
One or more transmission members for transmitting the power of the drive source;
With
The upper case is provided with a coil spring fixing portion on which the upper side of the coil spring is fixed,
The biased member supported by the lower case is provided with a substantially cylindrical coil spring engagement portion that receives the lower outer peripheral surface of the coil spring ,
Among the transmission members, one transmission member disposed at a position closest to the coil spring engaging portion is disposed such that the upper end of the side surface is closer to the upper case than the upper end of the coil spring engaging portion. A gap between the one transmission member and the coil spring engaging portion is smaller than an outer diameter of the coil spring,
The ice machine driving device characterized in that the height of the coil spring engaging portion on the one transmission member side is lower than the lower end of the side surface of the one transmission member . A coil spring;
A biased member that is biased by the coil spring and operates in conjunction with an ice detecting member for detecting whether or not the amount of ice in the ice storage container is insufficient;
An upper case and a lower case for accommodating the coil spring and the biased member;
One or more transmission members for transmitting the power of the drive source;
With
The upper case is provided with a coil spring fixing portion on which the upper side of the coil spring is fixed,
The biased member supported by the lower case is provided with a substantially cylindrical coil spring engagement portion that receives the lower outer peripheral surface of the coil spring ,
Among the transmission members, one transmission member disposed at a position closest to the coil spring engaging portion is disposed such that the upper end of the side surface is closer to the upper case than the upper end of the coil spring engaging portion. A gap between the one transmission member and the coil spring engaging portion is smaller than an outer diameter of the coil spring,
The ice machine driving device according to claim 1, wherein a height of the coil spring engaging portion is higher on the opposite side than on the one transmission member side . The upper case is provided with an upper guide portion,
The lower case is provided with a lower guide portion that engages with the upper guide portion and positions the upper case with respect to the lower case in the facing surface direction.
In the state where the lower end of the upper guide part and the upper end of the lower guide part are engaged, the interval between the part where the upper end of the coil spring contacts and the coil spring engaging part is larger than the natural length of the coil spring. The ice making machine drive device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized by the above-mentioned. Inner surface of the coil spring engaging portion, ice machine driving apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that it is formed so as to extend toward the direction of the upper case. The ice making machine driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein a lower end surface of the coil spring is formed flat.

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